Staging computerized tomography before delayed breast reconstruction could alter the management plan

Javeria Iqbal, Marco N Malahias, Kareem Alsharkawy, Sherif Youssef, Platon Trigkatzis, Amar Shimal, Poonam Pradhan, Maninder Kalkat, Haitham H Khalil
Staging computerized tomography before delayed breast reconstruction could alter the management plan
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Delayed breast reconstruction (DBR) comprises a significant proportion of breast reconstruction practice post completion of breast cancer treatment. The tumour's biology, staging, time constraints, ongoing treatment, and patient and surgeon's preference influence the decision to pursue DBR. There are no guidelines for assessing the oncological status before DBR in otherwise asymptomatic patients, particularly in those with a higher risk of recurrence. The purpose of this study was to identify the cohort of patients who could potentially benefit from staging CT scan before DBR regardless of the reconstructive modality and its impact on the overall management.

A retrospective review on 207 consecutive patients, who underwent staging CT scan before DBR in the period between 2009 and 2019 was performed. The CT scan findings were correlated with the breast prognostication scoring model (Nottingham Prognostic Index [NPI]) as an indicator factor for staging reasons.

The patients with moderate to poor prognosis (NPI score 3.4 and above) could benefit from CT staging scan before DBR. This scan could detect adverse prognostic features precluding major surgery, which saves patients from unnecessary surgical risks and discomfort, and direct them towards the relevant management pathway.

Read more here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34210626/ 

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